SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China has shut down nearly 2000 Internet cafes across the country and has ordered 6000 to suspend operations and make changes, according to state media.
Anonymous cybercafes are popular because they allow people to evade tough content laws, whose infringement on a personal homepage or message board authorities are likely to track to its source.
The Shanghai Daily said the move, China’s second major clampdown on the popular cafes in a little more than a year, aims to regulate the Internet service market in line with rules set by the Ministries of Information Industry, Public Security and Culture and the State Administration of Industry and Commerce.
More than 56,800 Internet cafes or bars have been inspected during a probe that began in April, the newspaper said.
